JP7300151B2 - Acoustic communication method and acoustic communication system by attitude control of floating body - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides acoustic communication between an offshore floating body such as an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (ASV) and an underwater communication target such as an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). It relates to an acoustic communication method and an acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body that performs

Underwater communication uses sound waves that are difficult to attenuate, but the communication range is as short as several kilometers. A directional acoustic device generally has a directivity angle of about 30 degrees in the vertical direction (Non-Patent Document 1), so acoustic communication in directions other than the vertical direction is difficult. Mechanisms such as gimbals and turrets for changing the pointing direction are necessary, and there are already examples of sonar devices adopting gimbals to improve the quality of measurement data (Non-Patent Document 2).
In addition, since large-capacity acoustic communication requires a communication time of several seconds or more, stable communication cannot be expected unless the range is always within the communication range regardless of fluctuations in the communication range due to shaking or tilting (non-patented). Reference 3). Therefore, it is said that the rocking and tilting of the hull of a ship or ASV equipped with the antenna also adversely affects the acoustic communication range. Especially in small and light ships and ASVs, it is difficult to maintain stability in waves, and for stable operation, it is necessary to install a stabilizer for acoustic equipment (Non-Patent Document 4), but the structure is complicated and Problems such as maintainability, reliability, and high cost arise due to an increase in the number of drive units.

Here, in Patent Document 1, a communication state measuring device for measuring the acoustic communication state disposed in each of the water vehicle and the underwater vehicle, and a position control device for moving the underwater vehicle or the water vehicle and the position control device controls the position of the underwater vehicle or A method for relative position control of an underwater vehicle configured to move the surface vehicle is disclosed.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a navigation management device for controlling the navigation of an underwater vehicle by controlling acoustic communication between the underwater vehicle and the watercraft, which is installed in the watercraft. An acoustic communication device that transmits and receives information to and from an underwater vehicle by acoustic communication; A storage unit as a position information holding unit that holds position information of the underwater vehicle calculated from the positioning result, and movement of the underwater vehicle from the position information of the underwater vehicle held in the position information holding unit a route determining unit for predicting a route and determining the course of the watercraft so as to enable acoustic communication with the underwater vehicle moving along the movement path; and a processing unit that functions as a cruise control unit that causes a running body to sail.
Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an acoustic communication device that communicates data with an underwater vehicle by acoustic communication, an acoustic positioning device that acquires the position of the underwater vehicle, and a controller. a first process of sailing the watercraft so that the watercraft approaches the underwater vehicle based on the position of the underwater vehicle acquired by the acoustic positioning device; and a second process of controlling the acoustic communication device to communicate data with the underwater vehicle after the watercraft travels to a position where acoustic communication with the medium vehicle is possible. A navigation support device for an underwater vehicle is disclosed.

JP 2016-144956 A JP 2017-165332 A JP 2017-165333 A

Tadahiro Hyakudome, Hiroshi Yoshida, Takao Sawa, et al.: Development of Marine Repeater (ASV), Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan vol.36 No.4, pp.286-293, 2018. Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Kyushu Institute of Technology press release, "Successfully fully automated measurement of cobalt-rich crust with an underwater robot!", February 4, 2016 M. Kurowski, E. Rentzow, D. Dewiz, et al.: Operational Aspects of an Ocean-Going USV Acting as Communication Node, Proceedings of the 15th Conference on Computer Applications and Information Technology in the Maritime Industries, Ulrichshusen, Germany, pp. 486-498, 2015. Blue Earth, JAMSTEC, Vol.141 No.28, pp.24-27, Feb 2016

Patent Documents 1 to 3 are for moving the surface vehicle or the surface vehicle to a predetermined position for acoustic communication between the surface vehicle and the underwater vehicle, and the orientation of the acoustic array. It does not use the attitude of the watercraft itself for directional control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an acoustic communication method and an acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body that controls the pointing direction of an acoustic array without using a driving component such as a gimbal.

In the acoustic communication method by attitude control of a floating body corresponding to claim 1, in the acoustic communication method for performing acoustic communication between a floating body on the sea and a communication target in water, position information of the communication target is acquired, By controlling the attitude of the floating body and tilting or shaking the floating body, acoustic communication is performed by directing the pointing azimuth toward the position of the communication target.
According to the present invention of claim 1, without moving a communication target such as an underwater vehicle or a floating body such as an aquatic vehicle, or using mechanisms or structures such as turrets, gimbals, stabilizers, etc., By simply controlling the attitude of the floating body, it is possible to control the directional direction and quickly expand both the communication range and the communication distance related to acoustic communication.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the acoustic communication is performed by controlling the attitude of the floating body and tilting or swaying the floating body for a predetermined time required to complete the acoustic communication between the floating body and the communication target. It is characterized by directing the pointing direction of the means to the position of the communication object.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it suffices to control the attitude and maintain the pointing direction only during the time including the predetermined time required for acoustic communication, and during the rest of the time, other missions or other operations of the floating body are performed. or save the power consumption of the floating body.

The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that by adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body, at least one of pitch, roll, yaw, and heave of the floating body is controlled to tilt or swing the floating body .
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the attitude of the floating body can be easily controlled within the range of normal floating body attitude control.

The present invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the buoyancy balance is adjusted by changing the center of gravity of the floating body, and any one of pitch, roll or yaw is controlled to tilt or sway the floating body. .
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the posture can be easily controlled by adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body.

The present invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, when the object of communication is a mobile body, the attitude of the floating body is controlled based on the positional information of the mobile body to tilt or swing the floating body .
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately grasp the position of the communication target and efficiently control the attitude of the floating body.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the floating body is tilted or swayed by controlling its attitude based on the position information according to the predetermined route plan of the mobile body.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately control the attitude of the floating body by grasping the position of the communication target from the route plan.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the floating body is tilted or swayed by controlling its attitude based on the positional information of the moving body determined by the positioning means provided on the floating body.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the position of the communication target can be measured by the positioning means and accurately grasped, and the attitude of the floating body can be efficiently controlled.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the floating body is tilted or swayed by controlling its attitude based on the position information of the mobile body obtained from the underwater positioning means provided in the water.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately grasp the position of the communication target based on the positional information of the moving body and efficiently control the attitude of the floating body.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the floating body has sailing means, and the thrust or reaction of the sailing means is used to control the attitude of the floating body so as to tilt or sway the floating body .
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the attitude of the floating body can be easily controlled by using the sailing means provided in the floating body as the attitude control means.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the floating body is a watercraft having a rudder and a side rudder, the watercraft is made to travel, and at least one of the rudder and the siderudder is controlled. It is characterized by tilting or rocking the floating body by controlling its posture.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the attitude of the floating body can be easily controlled by using the rudder or side rudder of the floating body as attitude control means.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, while the watercraft keeps the communication target positioned to the right or left of the watercraft, It is characterized by traveling along a migratory track.
According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the function of a rudder or a side rudder can be exhibited by traveling along a migratory track, and acoustic communication with a communication target can be facilitated.

In an acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body according to the present invention corresponding to claim 12, there is provided a communication target, a floating body equipped with acoustic communication means, attitude control means for controlling the attitude of the floating body, and position information of the communication target. and position information acquisition means for acquiring the position information, and performing the acoustic communication method.
According to the present invention of claim 12, without moving a communication target such as an underwater vehicle or a floating body such as an aquatic vehicle, or using mechanisms or structures such as turrets, gimbals, stabilizers, etc., By simply controlling the attitude of the floating body, it is possible to control the directional direction and quickly expand both the communication range and the communication distance related to acoustic communication.

According to the acoustic communication method by attitude control of a floating body of the present invention, a communication target such as an underwater vehicle or a floating body such as a surface vehicle is moved, or mechanisms and structures such as turrets, gimbals, stabilizers, etc. are used. It is possible to control the pointing azimuth only by controlling the attitude of the floating body, and to quickly expand both the communication range and the communication distance related to acoustic communication.

In addition, by controlling the attitude of the floating body and tilting or swaying the floating body for a predetermined time required to complete acoustic communication between the floating body and the communication target, the pointing direction of the acoustic communication means is changed to the communication target. In the case of pointing to the position of , it is only necessary to control the attitude and maintain the pointing direction for a period of time including the necessary predetermined time, and the other time is devoted to other duties or other work of the floating body, or consumption of the floating body. Electric power etc. can be saved.

In addition, when adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body to control at least one of the pitch, roll, yaw, or heave of the floating body to tilt or sway the floating body , the attitude of the floating body can be changed to that of normal floating body attitude control. can be easily controlled within the range of

In addition, when the buoyancy balance is adjusted by changing the center of gravity of the floating body and any one of pitch, roll, or yaw is controlled to tilt or swing the floating body , the attitude can be adjusted by adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body. can be easily controlled.

In addition, when the communication target is a mobile body, when the attitude of the floating body is controlled based on the position information of the mobile body and the floating body is tilted or shaken , the position of the communication target can be accurately grasped and the attitude of the floating body can be adjusted efficiently. can be well controlled.

In addition, when controlling the attitude of a mobile object based on position information according to a predetermined route plan and tilting or swaying the floating structure , the position of the communication target can be grasped from the route plan and the attitude of the floating structure can be accurately adjusted. can be controlled.

In addition, when the floating body is tilted or swayed by controlling its attitude based on the positional information of the mobile body determined by the positioning means provided on the floating body , the position of the communication target is measured by the positioning means and accurately grasped, and then the floating body is operated. posture can be efficiently controlled.

Also, when the position of the floating body is controlled by tilting or swinging based on the position information of the mobile body obtained from the underwater positioning means, the position of the communication target can be accurately grasped based on the position information of the mobile body. By doing so, the attitude of the floating body can be efficiently controlled.

In addition, when the floating body has sailing means and uses the thrust or recoil of the sailing means to control the attitude of the floating body to tilt or swing , the sailing means provided in the floating body is referred to as the attitude control means. It is possible to easily control the attitude of the floating body by using it as

Also, the floating body is a watercraft having a rudder and a side rudder, the watercraft is made to travel, at least one of the rudder or the side rudder is controlled, and the attitude of the watercraft is controlled to move the floating body. When tilting or swaying , the attitude of the floating body can be easily controlled by using the rudder or side rudder of the floating body as attitude control means.

In addition, while the watercraft keeps the communication target positioned in the right or left direction of the watercraft, it travels along the wake that circulates around the position on the sea surface above the position where the communication target exists. In this case, the function of a rudder or a side rudder can be exhibited by traveling along a course of excursion, and acoustic communication with a communication target can be facilitated.

In addition, according to the acoustic communication system by the attitude control of the floating body, it is possible to move the communication target such as the underwater vehicle or the floating body such as the water vehicle, or use mechanisms and structures such as turrets, gimbals, stabilizers, etc. Instead, it is possible to control the pointing azimuth only by controlling the attitude of the floating body, and to quickly expand both the communication range and the communication distance related to acoustic communication.

Schematic diagram of acoustic communication system by attitude control of floating body of this embodiment Schematic diagram of the floating body of the same acoustic communication system

An acoustic communication method and an acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a floating body of the same acoustic communication system.
The acoustic communication system includes a floating body 10 located on the ocean and a communication target 20 located underwater. The floating body 10 and the communication target 20 are unmanned, untethered, and autonomously navigable robots, and the floating body 10 placed near the water surface A conducts survey work, etc. on the bottom of the water B underwater where radio waves do not reach. 20 is controlled using acoustic signals.

The floating body 10 is an autonomous unmanned water vehicle (ASV). The floating body 10 includes a cylindrical main body 10a having a hemispherical front end, and a column 10b extending from the upper surface of the main body 10a. The floating body 10 is used in a semi-submersible state in which the main body 10a is submerged in water and the upper part of the strut 10b protrudes above the water surface A. Self-localization means 11 such as GPS and maritime communication means 12 such as a satellite communication antenna and a wireless LAN antenna are mounted on the top of the support 10b. The floating body 10 can grasp its position by receiving GNSS signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites using the self-position grasping means 11 . Also, communication with the mother ship can be performed using the maritime communication means 12 . A rudder 13a, a side rudder 13b, and a cruising means 14 such as a propeller are provided at the rear of the main body 10a, and a sub-thruster 16 is provided at the front of the main body 10a. can move. Yaw control can be performed by the sub-thruster 16 . Further, a positional information acquiring means (positioning means) 17 and an acoustic communication means 15 are provided on the lower surface of the main body 10a. The acoustic communication means 15 has a wave transmitter for transmitting sound waves and a wave receiver for receiving sound waves, and is attached to the main body 10a in a fixed state. The floating body 10 measures the position of the communication target 20 by acoustic positioning by the position information acquisition means (positioning means) 17, and performs two-way acoustic communication with the communication target 20 using acoustic signals using the acoustic communication means 15. 20 are controlled. In addition, the floating body 10 is provided with attitude control means for controlling the attitude of the floating body 10 .

As the communication target 20, an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) that autonomously navigates underwater without using a cable for connection with the floating body 10 is used. A communication target 20, which is a moving object, includes moving means 21 such as a rudder, propeller, and ballast (weight); and an acoustic transponder (not shown) that responds to a signal emitted from the position information acquiring means (positioning means) 17 of the floating body 10 . The communication target acoustic communication means 23 has a wave transmitter that transmits sound waves and a wave receiver that receives sound waves.

In acoustic communication between the floating body 10 and the communication target 20, there is a trade-off between the communication range and the communication distance, and conventionally, it was necessary to incorporate a mechanism such as a gimbal to achieve both. In acoustic communication, the shaking and tilting of the floating body 10 are regarded as obstacles, and efforts have been focused on how to reduce these and stabilize the floating body 10 horizontally. However, as described above, the adoption of driving parts such as gimbals and the mounting of devices for horizontally stabilizing the floating body 10 invites a complicated structure and an increase in cost.
Therefore, the floating body 10 according to the present embodiment acquires the position information of the communication target 20, controls the attitude of the floating body 10, and controls the body 10a of the floating body 10 by using the acoustic communication means 15 with a limited directivity angle provided in the floating body 10. By tilting or the like, the directing azimuth is directed to the position of the communication target 20, and acoustic communication is performed with the communication target 20 in the water. In this way, the acoustic communication means 15 fixed to the floating body 10 can be directed toward the communication target 20 by positively utilizing the inclination of the floating body 10 which has been regarded as an obstacle until now. As a result, without moving the communication target 20 or the floating body 10, or using mechanisms and structures such as turrets, gimbals, stabilizers, etc., the pointing direction can be controlled only by controlling the attitude of the floating body, and acoustic communication can be performed quickly. It is possible to achieve both the expansion of the communication range and the communication distance. The control of the pointing direction by attitude control is different from the conventional system in which a watercraft runs in a position where acoustic communication is possible and performs communication. Since it can be directed toward the target of communication, it is possible to rapidly expand the communication range and communication distance related to acoustic communication. In addition, attitude control can be easily performed by using the attitude control means provided in the floating body 10 to change the pointing azimuth.

In addition, the floating body 10 controls the attitude of the floating body 10 for a predetermined time (several seconds to ten and several seconds) necessary for completing the acoustic communication between the floating body 10 and the communication target 20. Preferably, the pointing azimuth is aimed at the location of the communication target. As a result, it is only necessary to control the attitude of the floating body 10 and maintain the pointing azimuth only for a period of time including a predetermined time required for acoustic communication, and the rest of the time can be used for other duties or other work of the floating body 10, or 10 power consumption and the like can be saved.

By adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body 10, the floating body 10 can be pitched (vertical inclination with respect to the traveling direction), roll (horizontal inclination with respect to the traveling direction), yaw (rotation about the vertical axis), or At least one of heave (vertical movement) can control the attitude of the aircraft. As a result, the attitude of the floating body 10 can be easily and accurately controlled within the range of normal floating body attitude control.
The buoyancy balance of the floating body 10 is adjusted using the buoyancy adjustment device provided on the floating body 10 as attitude control means. The buoyancy adjustment device has a structure that can take in water from the outside and drain it to the outside, and can adjust the buoyancy balance by water absorption and drainage.

In addition, the floating body 10 can adjust the buoyancy balance by changing the center of gravity of the floating body 10, and can control the attitude of the floating body 10 by any one of pitch, roll, and yaw. Thereby, the attitude can be easily controlled by adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body 10 .
The change in the center of gravity of the floating body 10 is achieved by the above-described water absorption and drainage by the buoyancy adjusting device, and also by separating the ballast provided on the floating body 10 as attitude control means.

In addition, the floating body 10 can control its attitude by utilizing the thrust or reaction of the cruising means 14 such as propellers. As a result, the attitude of the floating body 10 can be easily controlled using the sailing means 14 provided in the floating body 10 as attitude control means.

Also, the floating body 10 can control its attitude by controlling at least one of the rudder 13a and the side rudder 13b. As a result, the attitude of the floating body 10 can be easily controlled using the rudder 13a or the side rudder 13b of the floating body 10 as attitude control means.
The rudder provided on the floating body 10 is a cross-shaped combination of a vertical rudder 13a and a horizontal horizontal shaft 13b. Note that the side rudder 13b may be provided obliquely at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

In addition, since the floating body 10, which is a watercraft, can assume a posture with a larger inclination angle in roll than in pitch, the communication target 20 in the water can be positioned to the right or left of the floating body 10. The function of the rudder 13a or the side rudder 13b is exhibited by traveling along a wake that circulates about the sea surface position while maintaining a distance from the sea surface position above the underwater position where the communication target 20 exists. , the acoustic communication with the communication target 20 can be facilitated.

Further, as described above, the communication target 20 of the present embodiment is a mobile body having the moving means 21 , and the floating body 10 controls its attitude based on the position information of the communication target 20 . If the communication target 20 is a mobile object, the position of the communication target 20 is not constant. posture can be efficiently controlled.

In addition, when the communication target 20 is a mobile body and moves according to a predetermined route plan, the attitude of the communication target 20 can be controlled based on the position information of the communication target 20 derived from the route plan. . As a result, the position of the communication target 20 can be grasped from the route plan, and the attitude of the floating body 10 can be accurately controlled.

In addition, the floating body 10 measures the position of the communication target 20, which is a mobile body, by position information acquisition means (positioning means) 17 having a wider directivity angle than the acoustic communication means 15, and based on the obtained position information of the communication target 20, the floating body 10 posture can be controlled. As a result, the position of the communication target 20 can be measured by the positioning means 17 and accurately grasped, and the attitude of the floating body 10 can be efficiently controlled.

In addition, the floating body 10 can control its attitude based on the position information of the communication target 20 obtained from the underwater positioning means (inertial navigation system) 22 provided on the communication target 20, which is a moving body. As a result, the position of the communication target 20 can be accurately grasped based on the position information of the moving body, and the attitude of the floating body 10 can be efficiently controlled.
The underwater positioning means can also be provided on a moving body (underwater vehicle) other than the communication target 20 or on the bottom of the water B. FIG.

In the above embodiment, the floating body 10 is described as an autonomous unmanned water vehicle (ASV), but the floating body 10 may be one that does not have sailing means or a rudder. In this case, the attitude of the floating body 10 is controlled by adjusting the buoyancy balance, changing the center of gravity, or the like.
Further, in the above embodiment, the communication target 20 is described as an autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV), but the communication target 20 may be provided at a fixed position in the sea or on the bottom B of the sea.

According to the present invention, by controlling the pointing direction of the acoustic communication means 15 fixed to the floating body 10 by controlling the attitude of the floating body 10 itself, the communication target 20 and the floating body 10 can be moved, and mechanisms such as turrets, gimbals, and stabilizers can be used. It is possible to control the acoustic communication range without using a float or structure, and it can be utilized for control of the underwater communication target 20 by the floating body 10, and the like. In addition, the floating body 10 may be of a moored stationary type other than a sailing type, or may be a ship.

10 floating body 15 acoustic communication means 17 position information acquisition means (positioning means)
20 Communication target

Claims (12)

In an acoustic communication method for performing acoustic communication between a floating body on the ocean and a communication target in water, position information of the communication target is acquired, and acoustic communication means having a limited directivity angle provided in the floating body is connected to the floating body. 1. An acoustic communication method by attitude control of a floating body, characterized in that by controlling the attitude of the floating body to tilt or oscillate the floating body, acoustic communication is performed by directing the pointing azimuth toward the position of the communication target. Direction of the acoustic communication means by controlling the attitude of the floating body and tilting or swaying the floating body for a predetermined time required to complete the acoustic communication between the floating body and the communication target. 2. The method of acoustic communication by attitude control of a floating body according to claim 1, wherein the azimuth is directed to the position of the communication target. By adjusting the buoyancy balance of the floating body, at least one of pitch, roll, yaw, or heave of the floating body is controlled to tilt or swing the floating body. 2. The acoustic communication method by attitude control of the floating body according to 2. By changing the center of gravity of the floating body, the buoyancy balance is adjusted, and any one of the pitch, the roll, and the yaw is controlled to tilt or swing the floating body . 4. Acoustic communication method by attitude control of floating body according to 3. 5. Any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when the communication target is a mobile body, the posture is controlled based on the position information of the mobile body to tilt or sway the floating body. Acoustic communication method by attitude control of the floating body according to 1. 6. Acoustic communication by attitude control of a floating body according to claim 5, wherein said attitude is controlled based on said position information according to a predetermined route plan of said moving body, and said floating body is tilted or swayed. Method. 6. The attitude control of the floating body according to claim 5, characterized in that the attitude of the floating body is controlled based on the position information of the moving body measured by the positioning means provided on the floating body to tilt or swing the floating body. Acoustic communication method. 6. The attitude control of the floating body according to claim 5, wherein the attitude of the floating body is controlled based on the position information of the moving body obtained from underwater positioning means provided in the water to tilt or sway the floating body. acoustic communication method. Said floating body has sailing means, and thrust or recoil of said sailing means is used to control said posture to tilt or swing said floating body. The acoustic communication method by attitude control of the floating body according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The floating body is a watercraft having a rudder and a side rudder, and the watercraft travels, controls at least one of the rudder or the siderudder, and controls the attitude of the watercraft. The acoustic communication method by attitude control of a floating body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the floating body is tilted or swayed by the movement of the floating body . While the watercraft maintains the communication target to be positioned to the right or left of the watercraft, along a wake that circulates about a position on the sea surface above the position where the communication target exists. 11. The acoustic communication method by attitude control of a floating body according to claim 10, characterized in that the floating body travels on the ground. the communication target;
the floating body equipped with the acoustic communication means;
Attitude control means for controlling the attitude of the floating body;
a location information acquiring means for acquiring the location information of the communication target;
An acoustic communication system by attitude control of a floating body, characterized in that the acoustic communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is performed.

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